The Ole Miss Rebels defeated the Charlotte 49ers 41-9 in its first home game of the season on Saturday, Sept. 12. Here are a few takeaways from the Rebels’ win.
Pete Golding relied heavily on starters
It was not until the fourth quarter that Golding pulled quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and the other starters. The Rebels led 34-9 when quarterback Deuce Knight took over for Chambliss.
Leaving Chambliss and the other starters in the game for so long opened up the possibility of injuries. Every snap that Chambliss took was another opportunity for injury and, additionally, a missed opportunity for recovery time. The same went for wide receiver Deuce Alexander, who was also a big contributor in the game but could have used the rest.
Golding’s decision to keep the starters on the field likely came down to him not being comfortable enough with the lead that the Rebels had. He echoed that sentiment in his postgame press conference.
“There was an opportunity in the fourth quarter (against Louisville) when we were up two possessions to really close the door and finish the thing, and we didn’t,” Golding said. “It was something we kind of focused on all week, and (we reemphasized) that at halftime. (We) came out and (Charlotte) got points on the first drive, and then we go out on offense and go three-and-out and punt.”
After this sequence, the score was 27-3. That is not a close game by most standards, but considering the Rebels did not score any points during the third quarter, Golding’s decision to keep his stars on the field made sense.
The Rebels used the opportunity to score some points, and when Golding felt the lead was comfortable enough, Knight went into the game and rushed to the end zone, hurdling a 49er en route to his first touchdown as Rebel.
Overall, Golding’s decision to rely on his starters shows not only the confidence he has in them to seal a victory, but it also makes sense for Golding to use every play to fine-tune his offense. When the Rebels face LSU, there will be no room for error and Ole Miss will need to score efficiently.
Kewan Lacy is still the cornerstone of the Rebels’ offense
For any Rebel fan, this may seem like an obvious takeaway. However, when the season started, it was not certain whether Lacy would have the same role that he did last year.
In the offseason, the Rebels added transfer running backs JT Lindsey and Makhi Frazier in an attempt to lessen Lacy’s workload. The extremely high amount of carries Lacy had last season (306) undoubtedly played a part in his leg injury in the playoff semifinals.
Offensive coordinator John David Baker said on Aug. 10 that his plan was to utilize Lacy differently than last season.
“To me, running the ball that many times between the tackles (as Lacy did), you’re going to break, and (Lacy) did,” Baker said. “We’ve got a good running back room of guys that can carry the load and take some load off (Lacy), to where we can move him around to do different things with him.”
So far this season, it does not look like much has changed. Lacy already has 30 carries and three touchdowns and is involved in the majority of the plays.
In the Week 1 game against then-No. 24 Louisville, Lacy suffered a minor injury. Late in the third quarter, he left the game with a thigh bruise and did not return.
He returned for the game against Charlotte and looked great with two rushing touchdowns and 6.7 yards per carry on 13 total carries.
While Lacy is a great player, it is a bit surprising that he continues to be utilized so heavily considering that he has already been banged up once this season.
As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see if Baker spreads the workload out more, or if he continues to rely on Lacy, who, at this point, seems like Chambliss’ go-to guy in every situation.
The Rebels will find ways to earn points
Even if offensive drives do not go as planned, the Rebels almost always find ways to put points on the board.
This season, the Rebels have punted just five times compared to their opponents’ nine times. This discrepancy speaks to the offense’s ability to keep drives going as well as Rebel kicker Lucas Carneiro’s ability to nail field goals from anywhere on the field.
So far this season, Carneiro is 4-of-5, with his lone miss coming in the Louisville game. All of Carneiro’s attempts have been from at least 40 yards.
Against Charlotte, he looked very good and knocked down a 57-yard kick, just short of his personal best and only two yards shy of the Rebel field goal record.
According to Carneiro, he has not yet hit his max distance. He said in fall camp that he made a 62-yard kick in practice.
“(I) hit one from 62 (yards) in camp last week, and so my biggest thing is just being ready whenever,” Carneiro said.
As Carneiro’s range increases, the Rebels will ask more of him, but he will be ready to put up points whenever the Rebels need it.
